


Fragments of Wishes

by CrystalRabbit



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Alternate History, Magical Realism, Science Fiction, Wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-22
Updated: 2013-10-22
Packaged: 2017-12-30 04:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1013923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalRabbit/pseuds/CrystalRabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone constantly make wishes throughout their lives, hoping that their hopes and dreams would come true. What is the cost that people must pay? Nothing ever comes free without a sacrifice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fragments of Wishes

Chapter 1: The Sea of Dreams

Disclaimer: I don’t own any copyrighted material.

“People want to break out of the society’s conformity, in order to find and create their own purpose in life as well as to gain the respect of other for it. But can they expect other people do as they wish?”

 

Shining brightly in the sky like a diamond, hanging in the sky like a ripe orange dangling off a branch of a tree, for everyone to see was the sun, as the citizens of the cities bustled about in their daily lives. 

The collective knowledge of scientists from different fields of research in society had come together to combined their knowledge as well adding to the foundation of accumulated knowledge from the research of past scientists; to create more advanced technologies that people could benefit from in their lives, without adding more hassle or stress to the people’s baggage of stress that came from their daily lives.

There was hardly anyone in the society who didn’t own at least a piece of technology. Different modes of transports were available for the public to have quick access to different part of the city.

People were quickly enthralled by the flawless results of technology and seamless integrated them into their lives. The neo-luddites had long argued in the past that the continuous usage of modern technology would have detrimental affect on society, taking a heavy toll on the mental as well as the physical state of the user. 

Huge LCD screens was lined everywhere in the city, from the sides of building to the windows of shop, broadcasting ad from big companies to bystander on the street.

However people were willing to make compromises to reduce the danger or damage of continuously using technology in their daily lives, justifying why technology had to remain in society despite the negative side affects. 

This was the future that had been once envisioned by the people of the past, their ideal of what would in the future as seen through on the many movies based on the ‘science fiction’ genre shown through the monitors of people’s computer.

\---

In both hands, the blonde man held on to a cup of hot chocolate that he had made, using his power of technopathy to scroll through the slides of pictures on the screen of the computer. Leisurely taking sips from the cup as he sat peacefully on the chair, looking at the moving images.

The images smoothly slide across the screen of the computer as he mentally tapped into the system of the computer and willed it to move without any visible gesture or movement to change the files on the computer. 

While they were pictures of the same object of interest, variations could be seen in the sliding images, in some, you could see the pods of whales swimming and sprouting water up to the sky from their blow hole, passing the fort. In other, heavy flocks of birds were flying across in the clear blue sky to journey across the sea for their yearly migration. 

Hopefully, no-one would be stupid enough to stand under them unless they wanted wet black and white spots to found somewhere on themselves, there was no telling, when they did their business in the sky.

Many different detailed observations could be made about the state of fort through the miniature details in the high-resolution pictures of the fort such as the layers of rust that had strained the legs of the fort. 

A distinct ping had been sounded on the computer; it had indicated that people were standing at the door, waiting for him; a dialog box had popped right up in front of the slideshow of images to show a real time recording of a group of people standing next to his door.

He mentally tapped into the system of the intercom to cause the speaker outside his door to announce. “Okay, guys I’m coming to open the door for you.” To alert the visitors who were waiting outside that he was there to open the door for them to come inside his house. He placed his cup of hot chocolate with the steam drifting up on the table near the computer before he left the chair.

As he approached the door, a holographic keyboard had materialized out of thin air, in cyberspace. Technology was everywhere; it was available in places where people could easily reach them. Cyberspace was available outside on the street as well as inside in people’s homes. 

As technologies become more presented in society, a serious type of crime had surfaced – cybercrime - personal data from unsuspecting people on the street and in their home were being stolen and used being used in criminal activity. Making it very important to have a properly secured cyberspace at home, one of the last things you would needed is a list of outrageous bills that you have never ordered, being emailed by a completely legitimate company or maybe companies for something you never bought or even worse, the police waiting at the doorstep of your home with all the neighbors watching all the mild disagreements between you and the police, all while instantly gossiping all over on the social networking service on the internet. 

He typed in a long password in the holographic keyboard that had to be accepted into the system, before being allowed to manually open the door. It was always better to be safe than sorry with the security.

As Peter opened the door, the group quieted down from their chatter and walked into the living room as he opened the door for them.

“Hi, Peter.” greeted a girl in a pink attire who had her side-pony tied up with a scrunchie that had a red flower. “Is there anything that you are planning, today?” She strolled around in the living room, checking out the objects that were placed there to see if there were any changes since she had last been here.

“Just, looking over at some old pictures on the computer, Cindy,” said Peter closing the door by its handle with a small click. “So, do you, guys want to eat anything from the kitchen, I can make it for you, guys.”

The group had clearly unanimous voiced their disagreement over Peter trying to make them food. After all they were simply a bunch of uninvited guests, basically inviting themselves to his home without his knowledge - they were there just to have fun.

“You don’t have to make anything; I have already eaten, so I’m full.” Italian boy took a seat on the white couch next the French boy in the living room. “Thank you, very much.”

“No, thank.” French boy declared, waving his right hand from side to side to gesture a wordless ‘no’ as he sat next to the Italian boy. “I already had some cupcakes at home.” 

“Thank for the concern,” Cindy said, leaning back on the couch, stretching her arms. “But I’m not that hungry.”

“You don’t have to make food,” The white hair boy said, looking about in the room, purely out of interest. “But thank anyways for the concern.”

“There is no need for you to make us any food,” said the black hair girl, checking her black smartphone. “And as guests we don’t want to impose anything on you.” Speaking the mind of the group.

“Come on, guys. I have got plenty of food in the kitchen,” insisted Peter facing the group that it wasn’t much of an inconvenience for him to cook as they shook off his offers to cook them. “It is utterly no trouble for me to cook for you, guys.”

\---

As Peter busy himself with the cooking in his kitchen, the group of friends sat down on the chairs and table that was next to the kitchen, having nothing else to do but to either gossiping with one another, or to play games on their smartphones. A variety of aroma could be smelt drifting from where Peter prepared the food.

“See I told you, guys that I could handle it on my own, no trouble at all.” Peter boasted, putting two plates on each of his hands like a waiter while levitating down the rest of plates with food perfectly lay on top to the table, from the air for his friends to eat. “In just ten minutes.”

“But still we would have loved to help you,” said the Italian guy, in concern while twirling his fork in his plate of spaghetti with minced beef, as he twirled his fork, the long strands of spaghetti that surrounded the teeth of fork got bigger and bigger. “After all, we are the guests here, and I think personally it is not fair to let you do all the work around here, while we just eat.”

“No, no, Luciano,” Peter slicing through his synthetic roasted beef that part of his Sunday roast with a stainless steel knife, smearing a greasy layer of gravy on it from his plate. “It was no problem at all; cooking for me is not that much of a trouble.”

“You know you should have got us some 3D printed food,” Commented Cindy dipping her chip from her fish and chip into a small dish of tomato sauce, with thick red sauce dripping from the chip. “It is not like we are really picky about what we eat, just as long it tastes good.” Most cooked or prepared foods that were bought from stores were generally printed for the sake of convenience.

“Yeah, but it is the thought that is put into making these food.” Peter munched on a mini Yorkshire pudding that was coated in greasy layer of gravy, effortless waving off his friends’ concern of troubling him. “That makes it, worthwhile.”

Chewing the salmon-centred sushi, the black haired girl asked, “So, what kind of old pictures are you looking at, anyway?” As well as praising the food, that Peter made. “This sushi that you made is great.” 

“Looking at images of myself back at the time, when Arthur refused to acknowledge me as a nation and refused to let me have a say at how I should run myself,” Peter thoughtfully sipped his cup of tea before placing it down on the table. “Of course, looking back on it, now I understand could acknowledge me as a nation.” History is a collection of people’s past of what they have done that have either indirectly and directly shaped the world as it is today. But yet, the truth was transparent, like a shard of ice, piercing people both indirectly with its coldness and directly with sharpness. It was indiscriminate to everyone, no matter what his or her backgrounds were.

“Say, Yang?” asked the French boy using his spoon to scoop up his vanilla ice cream sundae that had a wafer placed on the side that was topped by sweet strawberry syrup with pieces of fresh strawberry and a sprinkle of finely chopped pieces of nuts. “Can I ask you some questions?” 

“Sure, Shujinko, so what are those questions?” Yang replied, sipping his green cup of green tea.

“How exactly, are we born?” Shujinko started munching on the pieces of strawberry. “I mean, I know that we are personification of the people but I remember at the time when I first woke up as the personification of Picardy, France was already represented by Francis, how is it that he was awake early than me?” The more he had thought about this, the more questions had popped up which he founded that he couldn’t find the answers. “Shouldn’t the regions of a country be older than the country itself, therefore shouldn’t I be the one who is suppose to be older than Francis not Francis, himself?”

“To tell you the truth, I am not entirely sure about that,” Putting down his cup of tea. Yang gave his thought about this matter. “I have several theories on this, but don’t count too much on it as they are just assumptions based on the facts and statistics I have seen.” Collection of the people’s past and their experiences that had molded the modern history, today – was evidences seen and verified by witnesses at that time. War had brewed usually due to disagreements between two or more parties. When conflicts fail to be solved, wars would break out with each side believing on to their own version of the truth.

———

The rumbling stormy clouds that had layered the sky, like wallpaper that had been pasted on the wall, painted the sky was pitch black, the rain had poured endlessly from the sky, pounding hard against the tall buildings.

A red - shorthaired man wearing a tuxedo stared mindlessly outside of the large window from one of the brightly lit room in the towering tower, at the other neighbouring buildings that had been swallowed up by the darkness.

A feminine voice had sliced through the silence that had permeated the bright room.

Like any other businesswomen working in some high corporate companies, the woman was dressed in her best business clothes. Sitting behind the metallic table, on a business chair with her legs folded underneath the table, nonchalantly staring at the back of the man in front of her.

“You know, Tim, you can always turn over a new leaf and start all over again but you can’t change if you don’t understand or refuse to acknowledge your mistakes. I’m sure you know very well why people in abusive relationships, find it hard to break out even if they do get into another relationship with a new partner,” She still staring at the back of Tim’s head as she ended her speech with a grim statement. “Try all you want Tim, you know how it ends.” 

Tim refused to acknowledge the woman sitting behind him, optioning to continue mindlessly to stare out of the window into the darkness that swallowed the other surrounding buildings into a sea of bland blackness. 

\---

Suddnely, out of nowhere a woman’s voice had called out, breaking the solemn scene between the characters in the movie. This voice of authority had compelled the blue- haired boy to turn around from the monitor to face her.

“It is time to go to bed, Arthur,” His mother called out interrupting the holographic movie that her son had watched on the blue computer; leaning against the doorway with her arms folded. “I already told you to go asleep at Twelve O’clock, right on the dot.”

“But I’m not sleepy, yet.” The boy whined at his mother, pausing the movie out of obedience to his mother to watch at a later time then turned off the blue computer with his telepathy. The vibrant lighting on the high definition screen had faded away as he walked to his bed, yielding to his mother’s demand after all how could he disobey her?

When he reached his bed, he climbed into his bed, tucking himself with his fluffy warm blanket and pulling up to his wrist. 

“So mom, why did you name me, Arthur,” Asked Arthur with lively eyes as he sat up straight in bed, as he attempt to strike up a conversation with his mother. “I was named after King Arthur, the King of the Round Table, wasn’t I?”

“Of course, I named you after him; you remember how they depicted him in the movies, gaining the respect of many people as he made his climbed his way up the social ladder to become the King of England before he became a king.” His mother recalled the stereotype depiction of the King Arthur in the pop culture of the modern age despite the slight modifications that each media made to his character to adapt to the storylines.

“But didn’t he die in the end of that story, betrayed by Modred who dealt the final fatal blow to him and sail to the island of Avalon, only to return back to England when he was truly needed?” King Arthur as great as he was, doomed by the prophecy to die like all great heroes before him. Doomed like a giant wave in the sea, gaining momentum in the sea, getting bigger and stronger before crashing down, becoming nothing but seawater.

“I have great fate in you, son that you will become as great as King Arthur if you tried hard enough at university as a proverb goes ‘no pain, no gain’,” His mother had turned off the light. The light had vanished leaving the room in darkness; there was a limited visibility from the soft glow given off by the electronic devices within the room. “Goodnight sweetheart.” Without waiting for her son to fall asleep, she had walked out his room in her slippers. 

Arthur groaned as he fell back on to his bed, closing his eye and pulling his blanket to cover himself. Slowly drifting into a sweet blissful sleep, unaware of what the future would bring to him.

———

The automatic doors of the lecture theatre had slide opened, out bursted a flood of students walking out of those opened doors as the lecture had ended. Many of the students were itching to get out of that lecture room, as they were all being bored to death by the lecturer.

Arthur and his friend were gossiping with each other, walking side-by-side outside as all good friends often do. Visitors and students of the campus were loitering about outside of the lecture theatre doing whatever they wanted to do such as studying outside or walking around the paths on the ground that branched off to different parts of the university.

“So what do you think about today’s lecture, Arthur?” asked his blond friend as they stood near a lake, with water so clean, that they could clearly see their reflection rippling through the mirror-like surface of the lake. “I was about to fall asleep back there, felt like I was about to doze off at any second.” His opinion wasn’t much different from the other students sitting in the same room, listening to that lecture.

As the technology had become more advanced, people were able to create artificial beings or objects with a natural feel to it to the point that it impossible to distinguish it was artificial or nature based on the attributes seen by the human eyes.

The artificial lake had looked like any other natural lake founded in nature, it had even supported an ecosystem of aquatic life down there. The boys could see some of the fish in the lake, poking their heads in the surface of the lake before swimming back down, leaving ripple in their wake.

Arthur stared deeply into the lake, bending the water, causing the water to jet out of the fountain toward him. Not a single drop of water had touched him instead it had pooled in mid-air to form a small blob of water, the size of a soccer ball floating in air. “It was so boring; I could have read all of that information on the PDF files, Peter.” He simply said, looking at the blob of water hanging by itself in the air, it was the size of a soccer ball. “So do you know anything that is interesting these days?”

“Remember those disappearances of people over in the past years ago? Like that girl who disappeared from Finland or the guy that disappeared from Australia, several years ago.” Asked Peter as he watched his friend melded that blob of water into many flexible transparent shapes like a starfish. “Don’t you think that some of those disappearances of people … were a bit odd, the police never solved the mystery of how they vanished?”

“No matter, how you look at it, it was really quiet scary, the girl from Finland was a metahuman not a mutant as from what I read from the news online.” Recounted Arthur, remembering that disappearing case of the Finnish girl but it wasn’t the first case that had flooded the headline of news at time like tidal waves crashing into the beach. “The news said she was well verse in martial art and using her power so she was dangerous - well maybe to normal person. Yet, she disappeared without a trace; there wasn’t any evidence of any colossal damages being inflicted, no footage of her being kidnapped at all, nothing at all – like she had vanished into thin air.” It was incredible hard for people to cut themselves from society as technology was found everywhere. It was like it was omniscient, observing everyone.

Metahuman and mutants were similar types of human with significant difference but they weren’t natural. There was no place in the ecosystem that could accommodate humans that could control water or fire, wielding it to their advantages; it would throw off the balance of the ecosystem. Affecting every living organism like a chain of lined up dominion, all that lines of dominion need was push, everything would fall down, drowning in their problems, they had created themselves.

How they were created indirectly or directly through the power of technology, varies according to many reports have been written. Their very existences had shattered the solid foundation placed upon the societies; bring in many debates and questions.

“Anyways,” Peter changed the current subject of their conversation to talk about an important subject - their upcoming project. “Have you done your part of the project and practiced the speech?”

“Already have,” Arthur responded as he watched as the floating blob of water, slowly depositing in the water of the lake, back where it had come from, so smooth like melted chocolate that there was hardly any ripples created as it melt into the surface of the lake. “Can we meet up at the university’s library, next week, to share and check the work?”

“Sure, at 12’o clock, here, at the entrance of the library, right?” A contract was forged between Arthur and Peter to meet up at the library for their assignment.

“Right.” Arthur had agreed with Peter to the meeting, not knowing that he would never meet up or see his friend in this lifetime.

Arthur had invited Peter to go with him in the cafeteria with their friends. “So, Peter do you want to have lunch with me and Minako and Minato down at the cafeteria?”

“Sorry, I have to go home; my mom is picking me at the entrance with her hovercar.” Peter tacked on another statement. “But tell Minako I said ‘Hi’.”

With sly smile on his face, Arthur said. “Is there anything that is going on, between you two? That you are not telling me?” Still grinning like Cheshire cat that caught a mouse. Hoping to catch all the detail, he could get from him

“Hell no, we are just good friend and there is nothing more to it.” Firmly stated Peter stepping any potential problems that could spire out of his control. He didn’t need any rumors spreading about, to soil his family name. With all those noisy students wandering about, snitching about everything they heard at the campus back to their parents. “Just good friends. And say hi to Minato as well.”

“Isn’t that what people always say?” 

Peter’s sharp ears caught this, before he indignantly responded with. “I heard that!”

“Anyway,” Arthur ignored that response. “What are you doing today, when you are going home?”

“Just watching some fantasy movie that had just came out.” Peter nonchalantly said

———

The university cafeteria was like an all-you-can-eat buffet; foods ranging from dessert to the main course meal that came from different cultures were available there for the members of the university who swamped the location. Even through the foods were printed in the cafeteria, they had tasted just as good as the food cooked by people, so there was not much of difference. 

Arthur sat down with two other people on the table and chairs provided by the university, who were happily eating on their foods from the cafeteria.

“So Minako, what do you think it is like to live a normal person?” Arthur turned to the red haired girl sitting along with her brother who had blue hair next to him on the table, eating her food from the tray. “I mean look at them, they don’t look like they have any worries in the world.”

Minako cut into her beef pie with a plastic knife, with the chucky beef gravy leaking out of the wound, she had made. “Why would you want to live like a normal person? Then again it really depend your definition of what is a normal person? I mean I know there are normal people who have neural implants implanted in them for many reasons.” She looked at the girl sitting on the next table across from their table, enjoying her fish and chip. “One is that so that they can seamless relay information to machine faster and to other people with similar implants. The other one is that so that they can carry and interact with the AI inside of themselves.” 

The boy listened on to Arthur and Minako’s conversation and injected himself in it as he watched the students walking passed their table. “Or are you referring to the people, who are less gifted than we are?”

“I was referring to the people who are less gifted than us; I can’t really imagine myself living without being able to any of my power in my life.” Arthur said, looking at them as he took a bite out of his tuna sandwich. “Besides don’t you guys ever get bored from coming to university and coming back home day after day? Isn’t tedious just living the same old boring life?” Hoping to break free from the sea of conformity that everyone had submerse themselves in, out of their free will.

“There are a lot of things to do in life that are very entertaining, like playing video game and watching holo movie.” Minato replied as he ate his beef burger, holding onto the wrapper around it.

“It’s the same here,” Said Minako observing other people eating in the nearby tables and chairs. “I mean it is interesting and convenience to see how we can use our abilities, like hacking into a computer in network security class. But I would rather study here than work for some big corporates; it is just too much work.” Peter’s hopes to find someone who would agree with him on his ideals were dimming.

“Don’t you guys want to do something significantly different in your lives, I mean you guys can work at some big corporate companies and earn credit, it’s not like your parents have anything against, right?” asked Peter disappointed in them for their similar current lack of aspiration. “I want to quickly finish university so that I can get a job and be independent.”

“I don’t think so, my parents want me and brother to stay at university and to further our studies, and I mean my parents won’t mind me doing it as part time job just to gain working experience just as long as it is in a safe and secured environment.” Minako turned to face her brother at this comment. “On the other hand, I’m too busy or rather too lazy to work, anyways.”

“Yeah, you and we both know what our reputations are like in society,” said Minato agreeing with his sister. Society’s expectation of metahuman was high and so were their families as well. “People generally have high expectation of us, thus we are expected to produce a high standard of work, and regardless of how much experience we really do have, would your parents allow you to work at all?

“No… my mum and dad say that I’m too young to be working, they say that doing those practicals at university is the same things as working for some big company.” He whined about his predicament with his parents, they had dictated what he had to do in life. “They keep telling me, I need to study even more, even though I’m smarter and younger than people than my age, going to university.”

“Well, you know it is like what my parents used to say to me and sister ‘You can compare yourself to someone who is lower than you just to make yourself feel better, but you need to look up to become even more better.’” Back when humans were still in tune with nature, with technology yet to come. People used to ‘diplomacy settle conflict’ through weapons like guns, which was more honest if not brute. These days money and all those was sweet word was the only to keep or advance your status in society. “It is vicious competition out there, people who are the cream of the crop usually recruited by big companies. You need to need have more skills to look more appealing than person standing next to you.” Minato said as he drank from his can of green tea on his tray.

“I can always get recruited by other small companies, I mean I’m metahuman, they’re bounded to hire me.” Arthur shot an excuse like a beam of energy from a plasma gun.

“Yeah, so ok you might be hired to become some top level managers of some kind of department. But you will probably be considered to be same as the other high level manager in the other division.” Minako advised. “Not, sure if you want to be called slacker by the others.”

“I’m no slacker, I want to shine all above the others and I want people to recognise me.” Arthur had a stormy look on his face, looking down at his food. “I don’t want to be like everyone else getting those normal jobs. They are always saying how I am doing excellent at my subject but yet they keep telling me to try even more. They are all a bunch of hypercritics.”

Minako and Minato gave looks of sympathy at him. Minako said “Look, your parents just want what best for you, it’s not like they force you to do anything,” Arthur looked up from his gloom. “Like what my mother used to say the easy way is to look down but that is for loser, and I know you are not one.” 

\---

The family of three people sat around the table, with dishes of fried rice and beef curry for dinner. These days, people didn’t kill or own animals or grow plants to get the unrefined products and their byproduct. There were special faculties where these biological and synthetic matters were grown in. These new processes of procuring these products were considered by the whole of society to be more humane and cheaper than the natural mean when people in the past called ‘farmers’ toiled in order to gather these materials.

“So what do think of my report?” Arthur asking his parents, as he placed his hard copy of his report that was given to him by the university for his parents to see, on the dinner table. “So do I get a prize for getting all high distinction for all my units?”

“Of course, you do Arthur,” His mother smiled in delight as she flipped through the water printed university logo pages of the report, leaving a proportion of her dinner, untouched. People generally put things on paper if it was very important like official report or in this case grade. “I will buy that video game that you always wanted.”

His father scooped up spoonful of fried rice into his mouth as he gave his son, a pride smile. “Son, I’m pride of your achievements, you did an excellent job, however I think you can still do better.”

“What do you mean?” asked Arthur; the tips of smile were starting to point downward to the ground. He knew this was coming.

“I think you should pick a unit for the study in the study for the next semester, as it can be practically applied to many fields of research.” Peter’s father continued on, ignoring his son’s dismay at this. Advising him what was the best way to maneuver in life to get the best possible outcomes.

“Can I finish university this year and get a job?” A question was made out of thin air. “So that I can earn money like you to put in the bank.” Looking at his parent, waiting the inevitable answers.

His parents had abruptly stopped eating their food, putting their utensils back on their plate. Both of them give a hard stare at him, looking straight into his eye.

His mother looked up from the report, she sternly looked at as if he committed a terrible crime, “Why do you want to finish university and get a job? Are there any friends of yours are leaving university to work?”

“No, they are staying at university, to further their studies.” Arthur replied reluctantly but insistently. “But can I finish university this year and find a job. I mean I can find money.”

“Absolutely not,” His father refused putting his foot down along with his mother. “You must stay in university like everyone else.”

“Why” asked Peter annoyed at this reactions of his parent, he had seen coming before, living with them for twelve years was long enough.

“You know very well why, you are too young and while you might have the knowledge of many subjects, but you don’t have enough experience to work in the real world and what if you get in trouble, think of the consequences that will fall on this family.” His mother lectured him in support of her husband. Everything done in society had to be followed in particular patterns with little to no variation.

After several moment of silence, with Peter glaring defiantly at his parents, with them glaring in return. Dinner had continued on in a silence and bitter note.

\---

“Thank you for your presentation.” The teacher spoke clearly to the two people who were standing on stage, in front of the big LCD screen that had covered the most of the wall in the lecture theatre.

There was no sound of applause, the presentation was greeted with silence, as the audience was informed the teacher, not to applause at the end of each presentation. Most of the time, they switched from looking down at their smartphone to look up to watch the presentation.

The two students walked down from the stage, as the teacher dismissed them from his table, it was filled with the stacks of papers used to graded the presentations.

“Next up, Peter.”

Peter got up from the sea of bored audience who were sitting down on the seats, watching as other groups performing their presentation. 

The stage was set, the audience patiently waiting for the next presentation to take place. 

He got his things ready, before walking up the stair to the stage, to perform his act all alone in front of audience, the show had to go on.

He looked at the audience from the stage, starting his speech.

\---

The girl sat down on a chair, reading through articles on the computer by mentally moving the files on the screen. The door had opened, in walked a boy, carrying a plastic bag with food protected by hard polymer containers.

“Want some sandwiches.” The boy offered the girl some sandwiches as he placed the plastic bag on the nearby table.

Not bothered to turn her back to the computer, she requested “Sure. What sandwiches do you have in the bag?”

“I just have cheese and bacon sandwiches or would you prefer the sandwiches with just salad?” The boy listed off the types of sandwich he had in the plastic bag, from his head.

“Nah, I will take the sandwiches with the cheese and baron, no salad.” The girl showed her preference of synthetic bacon over the salad.

The boy observed what the article that she was reading, from her side. “So you are reading an article on Christianity?” He retrieved the requested sandwiches from the bag, placing them next to the girl on the table. “I remember see those old relics at the museum.” Sitting on the chair that he had dragged near her. 

“I still can’t believe how people can read it and agree about some of the ideas in it. Anyways,” The boy changed the subject as he sat down on the chair that he dragged near the side of the girl. “I have heard they contracted personification for a micronation. I know there are personifications for nations but I didn’t think they would contract a micronation.”

“Nothing ever fazes me anymore, personification mean giving emotion or rather a personality to concept of idea that basically doesn’t have any in the first place, so you shouldn’t be surprise at this, at all.” Yin gave him a look as if to question him ‘how long have you been here.’ A question that she and he could answer. Both she and he had long seen things in their life that would make person physically sick at the sight of it. “You know what they used to say two heads are better than one. Although I’m sure that they weren’t talking about multiple personality disorder.”

“That kid is so damned lucky compared to the other personifications; at least he doesn’t have million of thoughts running amuck in his head like Australia, Finland or America. I feel so bad for them; it is like having a mental illness - only with million personalities in your mind.” He thought about the other personifications that he had seen around and met and the what-if, life they could have if they hadn’t become stuck in this mess. “There is only so much that metahumans or contracted metahuman can take on, before they go mad from all of this.” 

“I agree with you. It is depressing to see them go through this,” Yin was in agreement with him, what kind of life would they have if this hadn’t happened. “Kyubey told me, he was going contract someone, very soon.”

“Again?” The boy questioned before edging as if to gossip more. “So do you know what did he, what the contractee wished for?”

 

\---

A boy lay asleep on the bed, oblivious to his surroundings. As time had passed on, his deep slumber was broken by as he slowly sat up right on his bed, yawning and stretching his arms.

As he shook off the sleepiness in his eye, he glanced around in ‘his room’. The room wasn’t devoid; it was decorated to make it seem a bit homely. He could recognize the names of things in this room such as that computer over there, yet, he couldn’t remember how he even got here much less if this pajama on him was his.

As if it was fated, the light near the top of the automatic sliding door had flashed red, on and off; he distinctly knew it was an indication that a person or people had chosen to come in his room. As the door slide to the side to the side, he could see it was only a black-haired girl in casual clothes that walked through the doorway.

She looked very friendly, carrying a small smile on her face. Walking up to the boy’s bedside, dragging the chair beside the table in the room. “Hi, my name is Yin, so what is your name?” She looked directly into his eyes as she asked his name.

The silence and unintentional deadpan staring of the boy’s dazed eyes greeted Yin, as the boy tried to recall from his mind whether or not he had a name. After several moment of hard thinking with a lack of success, the boy looked up into her red eyes, waiting. “I don’t think I have a name.”

Without further delay, Yin didn’t mind the treatment from what the boy’s respond was to her, before continuing on. “Your name is Peter Kirkland.” He believed her, she 

“So my name is Peter Kirkland?” That name was written in one of the blank slate, nagging in his mind ‘what his name or did he even had a name?’

\---

Peter looked at the painting of a girl holding a paintbrush in hand, palette in the other. There was a rabbit beside her, whether it was a stuff rabbit or a real one was hard to tell due to the artistic style of the painter. A painting that someone had put in the room, behind the protective glass wall.

He could sense that the footsteps on the floor were coming closer and louder; he didn’t have to see to know to the person who was around the corner from him.

“How is work going?” Yin as she appeared from the corner into his sight, just like he expected her to come, “I heard that the boss gave you a lot of paperwork to do.” 

“It is smoothly progressing.” Peter replied, sitting down on a chair before gesturing for Yin to sit down on the chair next to him. He hated the paperwork, it was too much to do and there nothing to see but black words printed across on sheets of white paper. “Have got any information about any personifications that have been founded?”

“We have found the personification for England.” Yin looked at the painting across from the table.

Painters were funny people, their paintings were opened up to different interpretation to what they meant as to the painters and to the people, it differs from people to people who draw from their own past to interpret the meaning behind the painting.

Paintings that she looked at were often found in the many museums, locked behind the protective glass wall. These days, people would prefer to create visual images on the computer, as it was far less messy and easy to control. While painting still existed in this age, it remained as the hobbies of people than an area of profession.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s note:
> 
> I would like to have constructive criticism freeback to improve my writing skills. This fanfic is a prototype, as I haven’t decided how the plot should flow.
> 
> Neo Luddism is a philosophy that oppose of the usage of modern technology due to various reasons.
> 
> Theme:  
> *Whether it is good or bad for individual to conform to society’s expectation and stay there, and what are the affect of it on the individuals.  
> *The expectations that are placed upon on people.
> 
> Motif:  
> The motif of the sea and water represents the state of the society’s conformity constantly changing due to the ever- changing circumstances that society faces.


End file.
